The top reported proficiency rate is 89% in Math. The lowest is 72% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Newton Elementary School
Newton Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Pleasant Hill, a small rural village in Miami County. The school is part of Newton Local, a K-12 district housed all in one building on North Long Street at the center of town, which means students stay in the same facility as they progress and the school sits integrated into village life rather than on an outlying campus.
The school's current test results show strong performance in math and English language arts. In math, students in grades three through six met proficiency at a rate well above the midpoint among Miami County districts. In English language arts, proficiency was somewhat lower but still solid and above the county median. Science proficiency was noticeably weaker, though it is measured at only a subset of grade levels. Social studies proficiency data is older and not current, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about recent outcomes in that subject. All students who took the state tests participated, and the school reports full test participation rates across subjects.
The student enrollment is small, distributed fairly evenly across the grade band, with slightly more students in second and sixth grades. The population is overwhelmingly white, with very few students of other backgrounds reported. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch, special education enrollment, and English learner enrollment are not available, which is common for smaller rural schools but means a parent would need to contact the school directly to understand the socioeconomic and learning-support profile.
The school sits in a village context with flat population trends over the past two decades. Housing values in the zip code are moderate for the region and below state and national benchmarks, making it an affordable area. The village is compact and walkable in scale, with civic life organized around a central intersection marked by a Civil War monument. The district completed new school construction in the past decade, replacing a building from the 1920s. A few newer residential subdivisions with HOAs have added housing stock, but there is no sign of rapid growth.
Newton Local has made deliberate curriculum changes in recent years. Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the district implemented a district-wide STEM overhaul, including a new technology curriculum developed with the Upper Valley Career Center and a dedicated Gifted and Talented coordinator at the elementary level focused on STEM. This represents a meaningful shift for a small rural district that historically had limited access to advanced technology and gifted programming. The district also introduced a new Quantitative Reasoning course. These additions suggest the school is investing in pathways beyond traditional academics.
The district funds itself partly through an earned-income tax on residents in addition to property taxes. This tax structure came up for renewal on the November 2024 ballot and will shape the operating budget for the next several years. For families considering the school, the stability of this income tax matters to district operations and funding.
Newton Elementary works well for families who want a small, community-embedded elementary school in a stable, affordable rural setting with solid core academics in literacy and math and growing opportunities in STEM and gifted programming at the elementary level. The school's position within a K-12 district building means connections to the junior and senior high program are direct.
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